Housing & Homelessness

SMS Address Check for Rent Stabilized Properties

OVERVIEW

For a resident eligible for rent control, better awareness ensures stronger landlord compliance. Despite this, approximately one-third of renters surveyed either did not know or were misinformed about the City’s Rent Stabilizaiton Ordinance rights for renters. In order to address this challenge, the i-team designed an SMS tool that allows Los Angeles residents to quickly check if their unit is part of a rent-controlled property or not. The SMS address check tool is synced to the most up-to-date rent-controlled property list. Residents can text to check their home addresses, and then are directed to resources that inform them of their rights as tenants in rent-controlled units. The SMS tool is currently available in three different languages – English, Spanish, and Korean. These languages are most common in our target demographic for the Home for Renters’ campaign: 1) households income under $30K, 2) residents in area with most concentrated RSO housing units, and 3) residents in area with most concentration of RSO complaints.

WHAT IS THE PROBLEM WE’RE TRYING TO SOLVE?

Based on the Los Angeles Housing and Community Investment Department’s research, only 48% of renters with household incomes less than $25,000 per year are aware that the Rent Stabilization Ordinance limits legal reasons for eviction. With the rents in the Los Angeles housing market rapidly rising, increasing awareness of the rights of tenants in rent-controlled unit can help low-income families avoid displacement and remain in their home.